15 Squadron RAF Regiment

 

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15 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force. It protects RAF bases from ground attack. The squadron’s headquarters is at RAF Marham, having moved from RAF Honington.

15 Squadron RAF Regiment is part of 3 Force Protection Wing. The unit is capable of delivering the full range of Force Protection effects, including dismounted close combat, ground extraction, Close Quarter Battle, and operations in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear environments.

The Squadron consists of approximately 170 personnel, including tactical RAF Police, mechanics, chefs, clerks, and a paramedic. It is equipped with support weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns in the sustained fire role and anti-tank weapons.

The unit is able to support Joint Personnel Recovery and Ground Extraction Force tasks and regularly conducts training exercises throughout the UK and overseas in support of RAF operations.

The squadron was formed (as No. 15 Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Squadron) from No. 2700 LAA Squadron in June 1946 at RAF Nethertown and was renamed as No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment a year later in June 1947. In 1957, the squadron was called upon for security and defence duties in Northern Ireland with personnel serving at RAF Aldergrove and RAF Ballykelly. From 1959 the squadron served in the Far East, helping to quell a Coup D’Etat in Brunei in 1962, and was deployed to RAF Seletar (Singapore) between 1964 and 1969. In the 1970s it was active in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.

From 1982 until 1990, No. 15 became a light armoured squadron, equipped with the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) series of vehicles.  CVR(T) included Scorpion, Spartan, Sultan and Samson.  It then took on an air defence role using the Rapier missile. In 2003 the squadron deployed as a field squadron to Ali Al Salem airbase, Kuwait, in support of OP TELIC. On return they continued with Rapier commitments and deployed to the Falklands in 2004/2005. From 2006 the squadron was re-equipped as a Field Squadron in the ground defence role and served in Afghanistan and Iraq. In October 2014, the squadron provided the last troops on the ground in the airfield defence role at Camp Bastion. They withdrew back to Honington in the same month with some of the gunners on the squadron being flown out by the last wave of helicopters to leave the base, with the last of the squadron returning to the United Kingdom in November 2014.